Social security instead of EU militarisation

Joint declaration by Members of the National Parliaments and Members of the European Parliament on Europe’s Common Foreign and Security Policy:

Meeting in Dublin on 24 and 25 March, 2013, on the occasion of the Interparliamentary Meeting on Common Foreign and Defence Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy, we the undersigned Members of National Parliaments and the European Parliament expressing our disagreement with the current policies pursued by the EU, state the following:

Social security instead of EU militarisation

In view of the severe and deepening economic and social crisis in the European Union and the ongoing banking crisis, the costs of which are to be foisted on the public – and employees, students and pensioners in particular, as can now be seen from the example of Cyprus – the people of the EU are becoming increasingly concerned about the social repercussions and experiencing growing uncertainty. In the midst of this crisis, European Union Member States are continuing to build up their military capabilities, with any cuts to military budgets largely being offset by the activation of joint arms projects mainly through the European Defence Agency-EDA. The direction of European foreign and security policy remains unchanged: to increase the EU’s imperialistic influence, particularly in the interests of the large Member States, and to support the assertion of these interests by expanding its military intervention capabilities, facilitating wars to be waged even more frequently in the future. Increasingly militarisation and the erosion of democracy are the hallmarks of Europe’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. Against this background, we are calling for a fundamental transformation of the Foreign and Security Policy, with the following priorities:

1. Secure jobs, good wages and pensions, social security and good health care. Budgetary funds must therefore be used to strengthen social and economic security. Military spending must undergo radical cuts.

2. Foreign and security policy must be demilitarised. Aggressive military pacts such as NATO, which is waging or has waged wars in Afghanistan and Libya, must be dissolved. The so-called Partnership for Peace, which is NATO membership lite, must be rejected. The cooperation between NATO and the EU must be ended.

3. The EU Member States now are a leader in the world in terms of arms exports. Around the globe, EU arms exports are contributing to the escalation of conflicts, violence and death. EU countries must stop dealing in death. Arms exports for the purpose of bringing about regime change in violation of international law, as in Syria, must also be prevented.

4. EU missions providing training and military advice pose a real risk to peace around the world. There must be an end to missions in the framework of Europe’s Common Security and Defence Policy which seek to intervene in civil wars by providing training, military advice and supplies of military goods, as in Mali and Somalia.

5. The Common Foreign and Security Policy moves beyond the reach of democratic decision-making processes. The democratic sovereignty of nation-states is increasingly being eroded by European multilateralism. The parliaments in the EU Member States are being stripped of their rights in respect of the deployment of troops. This process must be stopped. Particularly in this sensitive area of security policy, the people must have the right to decide.

6. In European foreign policy, the integration of military instruments and the civilian instruments of humanitarian aid and development cooperation is already well advanced, making the latter seem like mere after-thoughts tacked on to a militarised foreign policy driven by self-interest. In order to respect the important principle of impartiality in fragile and conflicted areas, aid organisations must be allowed the space and autonomy, real and perceived, from political and military operations. In crisis and conflict situations in particular, this current integration is an obstacle to providing urgently needed impartial assistance to people in need. This current "comprehensive" or "integrated" approach, in which military missions in Africa are funded by the European Development Fund, for example, must be abandoned.

7. The Europe experiencing this systemic crisis is increasingly a Europe of exploitation, poverty and war. The profiteers and instigators of the crisis must be brought to account at last. We must make a stand against EU militarism. It is high time for a different security policy, a policy which is socially just and peaceful, and which benefits the people of the EU.

Mostly today that the crisis in Cyprus mounds we express solidarity with the people of Cyprus facing the attack of the infamous troika and reconfirm their solidarity with the peoples of Portugal, Spain, Greece and Ireland that face the continuous austerity imposed them. We reiterate the view of need of separation of sovereign and private debt. Europe has to show real solidarity.

Sevim Dagdelen, Member of the German Bundestag, Die LINKE

Christos Karagiannidis, Member of the Greek Parliament, SYRIZA

Sean Crowe, TD Irish Parliament, Sinn Fein

Sabine Lösing, Member of the European Palriament, GUE/NGL, DIE LINKE Germany

Dublin 25.3.2013